Reel Rewind: “Going The Distance”

A number of elements came together during the day that allowed me to see this preview of “Going The Distance” – I did my necessary errands in the morning instead of the afternoon; the Red Sox game was postponed due to rain; and despite being out of shape, I managed to run and catch the bus that brought me to the screening venue. My seeing this romantic comedy was just meant to be.

The free screening was part of Film Independent’s weekly Film Series, a benefit of membership in the organization of which I rarely take advantage. Arriving an hour before the 7:30 p.m. scheduled start time at the Landmark Theatre in the Westside Pavilion, I went to the Film Independent table, showed my membership card, and was given a Wait Pass with director Federico Fellini’s name on it. They would begin calling directors names at 7:00 p.m. and the people holding a Wait Pass with the name called could proceed to the theatre. In the meantime I hung out at the Wine Bar and read until Fellini’s name was called - about a dozen director names into the process.

Amazingly I was able to sit in my usual movie theatre area – it’s great having an unpopular seating preference! A representative from FIND introduced the film and said that there would be a Q & A with the director of “Going The Distance”, Nanette Burstein, after the screening. Let’s get this out of the way up front – I like this movie – I don’t love it, but it is an improvement over other recent romantic comedies, e.g. “27 Dresses”. Real-life couple (as of this film), Drew Barrymore and Justin Long play young adults who, in one night, meet over Centipede, connect with a trivia game and movies, make out to “Take My Breath Away" (courtesy of the in-apartment DJ) and during the subsequent six weeks of summer in New York City (obligatory montage of togetherness activities) fall in love. The established saying is that “the course of true love does not run smooth”, but in their case the course of true love does not fly smooth – between New York and San Francisco. While she finishes up graduate study in journalism at Stanford, he tries to make the best of his music career of band promotion in New York. And using all the technology available in the early Twenty-first century, they maintain the relationship over thousands of miles and several time zones interspersed with actual visits to one another during seven months, though not always happily.

Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis play Justin’s best friends and they provide the primary comedy relief in the film. Though they are amusing at times, it unclear to me why or how these two guys are friends with Justin’s character – the air of “loser” surrounds them and fortunately doesn’t permeate Justin. Having one of them be his roommate does provide a situational comedy element. On Drew’s side are Christina Applegate and Jim Gaffigan who play her sister and brother-in-law with whom she lives. Christina provides the tough, uptight, practical side to the couple’s long distance relationship. Ah yes, the support of one’s family can be tenuous. So, will their love be able to thrive three thousand miles apart? They do want to be together and I like that the characters Drew and Justin play are adults who know what they want to do in life, but are struggling to find the right fit. The tagline for this film is “The comedy about meeting each other halfway” which I don’t think is accurate for the story. My tagline would be “Far away or nearby, love is the place”.

In the Q & A with Nanette Burstein, she reveals that earlier script versions had a younger couple, one of them cheats, and they split. Guess the tagline for that film would be “The comedy about meeting each other and turning away”. Nanette’s film area is documentaries (“On The Ropes", "American Teen") and this is her first foray into fiction. The films she used as inspiration for her approach to the task were “Annie Hall” (one of my favorite Woody Allen films – we may still need the eggs, but in August 2010 they could make you sick – choose carefully), “Knocked Up” (haven’t seen it), and “There’s Something About Mary” (somewhat silly). It was a forty-five day shoot and, given Nanette’s documentary background, done mainly on location. I did learn something about directing – according to the rules, it is the AD who directly tells the extras what to do in the scenes, not the Director. Everyone has a role to play.

On a personal note, I’ve never done a long distance relationship – having one in the same city is trying enough. Recently two friends of a friend became an intercontinental couple – he in San Francisco and she in Rome – I wish them lots of luck and many bon voyages!



Film Facts: Director: Nanette Burstein, Writer: Geoff LaTulippe, Cinematographer: Eric Steelberg, Editor: Peter Teschner, Musician: Mychael Danna, Producers: Jennifer Gibgot, Garrett Grant, Adam Shankman, Production Companies: New Line Cinema, Offspring Entertainment

Film Type: Comedy, Romance, Cast: Drew Barrymore (Erin), Justin Long (Garrett), Charlie Day (Dan), Jason Sudeikis (Box), Christina Applegate (Corinne), Ron Livingston (Will), Oliver-Jackson Cohen (Damon), Jim Gaffigan (Phil), Natalie Morales (Brandy), Kelli Garner (Brianna), June Diane Raphael (Karen), Rob Riggle (Ron), Sarah Burns (Harper), Terry Beaver (Professor), Matt Servitto (Hugh), Length: 95’, Language: English, Country: United States, Year: 2010
Film Trailer
United States release date Friday 3 September 2010

Images:
Left: Drew Barrymore as Erin and Justin Long as Garrett from the website filmindependent.org
Center: Graphic interpretation of “Going The Distance” created by Adrean Darce Brent

Right: Poster of “Going The Distance” from the website cinemablend.com